Ministry of Health & Environment

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Jamaicans suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction or urinary incontinence could soon find relief, with the official launch of the NeoControl pelvic floor therapy system in Jamaica on February 24.

The non-invasive treatment is being marketed by Neotonus Inc., a United States-based company. Since gaining United States Food & Drug Administration (USDA) approval in 1998, more than 1.5 million NeoControl treatments have been provided in 53 countries and 46 American states.

Introduced to locals last month, the technology will be officially launched in Kingston at an all-day urology conference at the Courtleigh Auditorium, formerly Island Cinema, on St. Lucia Avenue.

The conference will hear from Dr. Devon Osbourne, whose private practice in Portmore is the only local facility offering the treatment to date. Dr. Osbourne will address the conference on his clinical findings among patients under his care.

Developed in collaboration with Emory University School of Medicine and the Georgia Institute of Technology, NeoControl uses pulsed magnetic fields to treat pelvic floor dysfunction in men and women non-invasively, without even the need to remove the clothing.

According to Sydney C. Stephens, Sales Executive with Neotonus Inc. and Project Manager for the Caribbean, the NeoControl therapy system is the first clinical device to use extracorporeal magnetic innervation technology for pelvic floor muscle stimulation.

"The success of NeoControl in the United States and Europe has encouraged us to increase our presence in the global marketplace," said Neotonus' Chief Operating Officer, Jordan Morris.

"We have already received approval to market this product in Canada, South America, Asia and Europe, and launching this product in Jamaica brings us closer to our goal of eventually being the first-line treatment for incontinence in every corner of the world," he stated.

NeoControl therapy is administered in a physician's office or rehabilitation facility. Fully clothed, the patient simply sits in a comfortable armchair that has the magnetic technology embedded in the seat. The powerful, pulsating magnetic fields, controlled by a small adjacent power unit, induce muscle contractions in the pelvic floor to build strength and endurance and increase circulation. Nothing touches the patient's skin. He or she will only feel the muscles tighten and relax as they are exercised. Patients report no pain.

NeoControl has been the subject of more than 100 clinical trials around the world. Data from clinical studies at the Cleveland Clinic and at sites in Chicago, Philadelphia and Orlando, indicate that of 76 subjects, who completed eight weeks of therapy with twice weekly sessions of 20 minutes each, 50 per cent reported being completely dry and 80 per cent reported significant improvement in their conditions.

Mr. Stephens noted that when asked to evaluate their quality of life as it relates to two factors - absorbent pad changes per day and episodes of leakage per day - patients ranked their satisfaction at 46 per cent before entering the study. The figure jumped to 76 per cent after eight weeks of treatment.

Dr. Niall Galloway, Medical Director of the Emory Continence Centre in Atlanta, has endorsed the treatment, stating that "NeoControl should be the first step in treating patients with incontinence. It is preferable to other treatment methods because it is not invasive, uncomfortable or fraught with unpleasant side effects".

Urinary incontinence is the inability to control the release of urine. Many conditions and disorders can cause incontinence including pelvic surgery, childbirth, injuries to the pelvic region, infections, hormonal changes and changes associated with aging.

In men, the removal of the prostate, as a treatment for prostrate cancer, may cause incontinence in the patient post-surgery.

Further information about NeoControl therapy is available by visiting the website www.neocontrol.com.

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